New Year gains erased as FTSE tumbles

clock

The FTSE 100 dived 6% in afternoon trading on Wednesday as a result of glum retail sales data across the Atlantic.

Financials were most prominent in the downward trend although bus and train company FirstGroup is currently bottom after dropping more than 16%. Revenue growth at its North American bus arm, Greyhound, fell in Q4 2008, sparking the drop. Barclays is also a contender for the bottom spot having so far fallen 14.29% after news it was to double the original number of job cuts to 4,200. RBS and HBOS both continued to struggle, losing 14.48% and 11.60% respectively. Wall Street has also reacted badly to the retail data which showed sales were worse than expected in December. The Commerce ...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Economics / Markets

'Discussion-worthy stuff': Chinese assets under pressure

'Discussion-worthy stuff': Chinese assets under pressure

China has an 18% share of global GDP and only a 3% MSCI ACWI weighting

Chris Justham
clock 02 April 2024 • 2 min read
Why investors 'can't outrun' slow-moving demographics

Why investors 'can't outrun' slow-moving demographics

'Demographic change is a key megatrend'

Darius McDermott
clock 07 March 2024 • 5 min read
Spring Budget 24: Ten key takeaways from Jeremy Hunt's speech

Spring Budget 24: Ten key takeaways from Jeremy Hunt's speech

British ISA, Office for Budget Responsibility, tax cuts

Valeria Martinez
clock 07 March 2024 • 4 min read